Talking Urinal Cakes – Another Unique Tool to Combat Drunk Driving

If the sound of a ladies voice in the men’s room has you searching for the source, it just may be coming from the urinals. In an effort to employ a unique and attention grabbing way to remind bar patrons to avoid driving drunk, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning recently asked restaurant and bar owners to place “talking” urinal cakes in restrooms to encourage patrons to call a cab or a friend to get home safely. Bar and restaurant patrons have been exposed to posters, radio advertisements, and television commercials for years reminding them not to drive drunk, but this new delivery format is garnering a lot of buzz.

The Michigan OHSP, working with the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, mailed out the motion-activated deodorizer cakes to bars and restaurants in early July as a part of statement efforts to crack down on impaired driving over the Fourth of July weekend. While the message is very serious and nothing new, the delivery method hasn’t been used before, and it’s getting people talking and taking the message to heart.

Do you think a similar program could be successful in Nevada? Do you think creative messaging like talking urinal cakes might convince bar patrons to call a designated driver? Tell us what you think!